Who Is Rick Sund - Atlanta Hawks New GM

In case you didn't know the Atlanta Hawks have hired Rick Sund as their new GM. I guess the young upstart GMs didn't want to come to Hotlanta. Their loss.

I heard on the local radio station that the host did not know who Rick Sund is. The short answer is that he is one of the worst GMs in the NBA but a upgrade over Billy Knight and a huge upgrade over what was supposedly the front running candidate Billy King.

What can we expect from this new GM. Experience in handling unstable ownership (ala Seattle) and more amiable personality on the radio.

What else? As you will see below, his draft history is worse than Billy Knight's! His penchant for project players make him a liability. He does a great job of cleaning up messes with trades, but sometimes he doesn't make the right decision.

My biggest fear is that the utterly retarded Rashard Lewis move repeats itself with Josh Smith.

Here's a rundown of his moves.

• 2/03 -Sund took advantage of the Ray Allen/Michael Redd situation in Milwaukee by stealing Ray Ray away, only giving up a washed-up point guard (Gary Payton) and a guy who still can’t shoot (Desmond Mason). However, Allen is a guy who commands max money but doesn’t provide max results.
• 7/03 – He did a fair job landing two serviceable players in the unspectacular Nick Collison (#12) and the wispy Luke Ridnour (#14), but neither guy has developed into an established starter. In that draft, Sund passed on the likes of David West, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard. He’d trade both Collison and Ridnour for any of those guys in a heartbeat.
• In the next three drafts, Sund picked three project centers: Robert Swift (#12) in ’04, Johan Petro (#25) in ’05 and Saer Sene (#10) in ’06. In drafting these guys, he passed on Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, Delonte West, Tony Allen, Kevin Martin, David Lee and Marcus Williams. Swift is injured while Petro and Sene are combining for a dreadful 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds this season. What a brutal draft run.
• 2/06 – Turning short timer Vladimir Radmanovic into Chris Wilcox was a nice move, though he hasn’t developed into a 15/10 guy like the Sonics hoped. The team may eventually regret re-signing him last summer.
• 2/06 – Sund acquired Earl Watson for Reggie Evans, trading toughness in the frontcourt for toughness in the backcourt. Watson is erratic but is a solid backup.
  
• 2/07 – Sund’s biggest mistake was not to trade Rashard Lewis before the deadline after deciding not to sign him to an extension before the season. Now it looks like Lewis will opt out this summer, which means the Sonics may get nothing in return for their stud swingman.

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Atlanta Hawks GM Search - Can't Blame Them For Trying

The only thing going for the Atlanta Hawks right now is that they are in one of the most marketable cities to young athletes. Their brief post season run is all but forgotten now that the Celtics have been exposed as the pretenders they are. If the new GM is stuck with Woodson, then that's less than ideal... why have a GM at all, some would say. Of course, there's also that whole, "not having a draft pick" this year that might stop a new GM from coming.

ESPN reports that Grant is latest candidate to drink the wine and taste the food, but reject the Atlanta Hawks.

Hawks part-owner Michael Gearon Jr. told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday that the process "is coming to a close," but it was not immediately known whom Atlanta will turn to now. One source close to the process described the Hawks as "scrambling" because they believed they had Grant, who ultimately decided against making the leap from one of the most stable franchises in the league to a team that just halted the league's longest playoff drought and which is known for feuding factions in its crowded ownership group.

GM Candidate List

• Chris Grant - Assistant GM Cleveland Cavs - REJECTED OFFER
  
• David Lindsey - Assistant GM San Antonio Spurs - REJECTED OFFER
  
• Tommy Sheppard - VP of Basketball Admin (Also being wooed by NY)
  
• Dave Wohl - Assistant GM Boston Celtics
  
• John Gabriel - Personnel Scout Portland Trail Blazers
• Billy King - Former 76er GM - PRAYERS FROM HEAVEN ARE BLOCKING HIM
  

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Braves Get More Cox, For Another Year At Least

Braves get Cox for at least one more year.

Widely thought to be the last year for Cox something changed his mind.

"We were up in New York and he was looking at the new stadium out in left field and said, 'That will be cool to go there next year,'" Francoeur said. "Then I started thinking he would come back."

Wren was reported as saying as long as Cox wants to manage he'll always have a home here. Cox has similar sentiments about the Braves.

Cox has two seasons to rectify the image that he's the greatest regular season manager ever and one of the worst playoff managers. Cox owns a career record of 2,171-1,686 and his .563 career winning percentage ranks third all-time. His post-season record of 43 to 36 and a .544 winning percentage only include ONE world series, with over 15 Division series under your belt, you'd think there'd be more than one!

I like Bobby, sometimes I just wish he'd turn a different gear on in the postseason. Glad to see we don't have to start over next year.

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Forum Members Do Have Brains - Franchise QB and the FIRST season

I was trolling the Atlanta Falcons board for blog fodder when I found it! Look at this great post by heretic.

Franchise QB and the FIRST season

Peyton Manning
Ben Roethlisberger
Vince Young
Matt Leinart
Eli Manning
Alex Smith
Donovan McNabb
Michael Vick
JaMarcus Russell
Drew Brees
Tom Brady
Philip Rivers
Carson Palmer
Marc Bulger

1/13 started more than 13 games (P. Manning)
10/13 started in 7 or less games
1/8 had a passer rating better than 75.0 among those with 100 or more attempts (Big Ben)

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Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks...

that Rookie contracts are out of control.

And More...

• Yahoo! (Points Out that Ryan is 3rd Highest Paid Player)
• Sports Agent Blog - Gives Kudos and asks questions about the deal.
  

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Matt Ryan Got Paid! - Vick vs Ryan Signings

Ryan is guaranteed $34.75 million. His guaranteed money is $4.75 million more than that given to Jake Long, the No. 1 overall choice who also is represented by Condon.

Matt Ryan received a 6 year, 72 Million dollar deal. One has to wonder here, the guaranteed money is not much less than what a certain someone received.

The Falcons' star [Michael Vick] quarterback signed a 10-year; $130 million contract extension that guarantees him an NFL-record $37 million in bonuses, and he wants to prove he's worth every penny.

I'm not saying Matt Ryan is anything like Vick. I like them them both. However, I'm surprised to see the guaranteed money be so large right after what happened. It's almost like the Falcons are trying to prove to themselves that they have moved on.

In comparison though, Ryan's deal is closer to Vick's extension than his original contract:

Vick is guaranteed $15.3 million through the first three years, including a signing bonus of $3 million.

Ryan only signed for 10 Million more, with twice as much guaranteed money. (Michael Vick signed for $62 Million in 2001).

So while I'm glad that Ryan is in the fold and getting paid, he deserves it. It makes me shudder to think that these NFL teams have so much invested into unproven talent.

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Most Distraught Atlanta Franchise Is The Only One With A Plan

One year ago, I'd say that there was only one franchise in Atlanta Sports that had any sort of plan at winning. It wasn't that the Falcons weren't trying, it was just a number of events that took them out of the entire equation. The Hawks, well, they're the Hawks... and are we really going to talk about the Thrashers? Yes, the Atlanta Braves, the staple and example of a winning team seemed, at the time to be the only one with a plan.

Today, there is still only one Franchise that seems like it has a plan to win while the others are languishing with unanswered questions.

The Atlanta Hawks have yet to select a GM and with their ownership situation it will be harder to lure any of the top candidates. Until that is settled, it leaves the coach up in the air as well as the two Joshes.

The Atlanta Braves are doing well with Chipper and their patchwork bullpen, but Smoltz had a set back and there is no consistency out of their starting pitching.

The Thrashers traded away a player that is taking his team to the Stanley Cup...

Yes, The Atlanta Falcons, believe it or not, have developed a winning formula. They've hired a GM for a winner, drafted a winner at QB, hired a winner at Coach and for once have some depth there, at least in terms of backups. They have an actual owner.... there's a lot of positives. There's some hope at least. There's some question marks about the team obviously, but there is only one place to go for the Falcons and that's most certainly is up. To think last year, this was the leagues worst franchise to come into this year with a team with some major promise. Maybe not this year, but in short time the Falcons seem poised to get rid of that record for years without a consecutive winning record.

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Are They Really Still Talking About This | Chipper Jones

Honestly, Chipper is having a great first quarter or so of the season, but really...

See this Braves Article

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Atlanta Falcons Message Board Review: May 19th, 2008

Remember that post about the who could be more exciting than Matt Ryan a few days ago? Well, that's seems to be the only legitimate conversation on the AF boards today .

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Vince Young - A Queer Sort Of Quarterback

Courtesy to blogxilla for reposting these images, but honestly I really don't have much more to say. Wonder how this whole gay thing plays out for Vince.

Blogxilla's comment on the pictures, "It looks like a Sausage party to me b/c I don't see nearly enough women around to warrant taking off anyone's shirt!!! It's just not right!!!"

Yeah, it's prudent not to call a spade a spade, but look at this image, I mean the Braves fan there is grinding on Vince....
Previously, I had posted quarterbacks that I would be just as excited to have on our team since 2003 and Vince Young was one of them. Gee, I think I can remove that name. No offense to guys that of that particular persuasion, but I'll have a hard time rooting for a guy that REALLY, REALLY enjoys the company of guys.

Local radio hosts from 790 the zone talked at length the other day about who they would rather have then Matt Ryan if they could go back and pick and Vince was the resounding number 1 (based on college career).

Wonder if these photos came out earlier if it would change that opinion.

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Who Would Be More Exciting Than Matt Ryan?

Excluding 2007, which QB were taken that would be more exciting than Matt Ryan out of college. You have to go all the way back to 2003 just to find 5 QBs that would be at least AS exciting as Matt Ryan.

2006 NFL Draft

1. Vince Young - Can't get more exciting than this, so YES.
2. Matt Leinart - Again, based on college experience alone, absolutely. YES
3. Jay Cutler - Coming from Vanderbilt, his body of work just doesn't excite me the way Ryan's does. Vanderbilt is a whipping boy for a lot of teams, Boston College on the other hand does face some stiff defenses.

2005 NFL Draft

1. Alex Smith - Coming from Utah with little to no competition and lack of experience in a pro-style offense, I really can't get jazzed up about him.
2. Aaron Rodgers - Again, coming from California, Rodgers isn't going to excite me about his level of play.
   
3. Jason Campbell - One great season does not a quarterback make, or does it. I like the fact that he did it in the SEC, so that's a plus, but it's a big stretch to say more exciting than Ryan.

2004 NFL Draft

1. Eli Manning - He's a wild card for me. On one hand, I'm not impressed by his college resume in comparison to others, but he's Peyton's brother. In terms of excitement alone, I'd have to give it to him.
2. Phillip Rivers - Based on his body of work at NC State, I'd have to say I'd be at least as excited about Rivers as I am about Ryan. Several awards and great games in college and he did it in the ACC.
3. Ben Roethlisberger - As a college athlete, Ben just flies under the radar for me at Miami(OH). I'd feel the same about Joe Flacco this year.
   
4. J.P. Losman - Uh, no.
   

2003 NFL Draft

1. Carson Palmer - Anyone from a winning USC team would entice me just a bit. His career isn't as exciting as Leinart's to me, but I'd be fired up about him coming to Atlanta.
   
2. Byron Leftwich - Marshall does nothing for me excitement-wise. Media talking about his big arm, might get me a little bit.... on second thought. NO.
3. Kyle Boller - Again, the competition level that Kyle faced in college isn't on the same playing field. I'm not ready to give Cal any respect.
4. Rex Grossman - In 2003 I'd be pretty fired up about an SEC Quarterback, even though I'm a Georgia Tech fan. In 2008, I'd be very disapointed because Grossman is the Brohm of this years draft in my opinion. A system QB.

Just for kicks

2002 NFL Draft

1. David Carr - No
   
2. Joey Harrington -No
   
3. Patrick Ramsey - Is Tulane a school?

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$185,000 A Catch?! Joe Wants Out

Or $5 Million a Touchdown?

Joe you want out? Where on Earth are you going to get a better deal. Warm our bench, collect 2.5Mil and retire in obscurity.

"They're going with the younger guys and I don't have a problem with that, if that's the course they've chosen," Horn said. "I want to have an opportunity to play with a team that needs a veteran to play and contribute and who helps the young guys."

THIS JUST IN! If you can't break the Falcon's roster then... who are you going to play for?

The Falcons have gotten better value with Finneran the past two years (sidelined with an injury) than Horn.

"I'm not rocking the boat. The main reason I came here last year was for [owner] Arthur Blank. His character, his passion and the way he takes care of his people. I relish the opportunity to play here. I haven't talked to Mr. Blank but so far the way it seems, I think they want to go younger."

Yes, my boss thought I was keeping the boat steady last time I talked behind his back to the media.

If the Falcons trade Horn, sources report, that a space heater for the Locker Room has been the talks with various teams. Unfortunately, the teams interested in Horn are also asking for a third rounder to be packaged with Horn for the space heater. I think it's a good move, bring it home, Dimitroff.

I hope Arthur takes care of you, Mr. Horn, by giving you a pink slip.

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More tomfoolery in Atlanta ....

Will Chipper hit .400?

Honestly, is this a real discussion. Is there no other news in Atlanta Sports? Is it a foregone conclusion that both the Hawks and the Falcons are the equivalent of expansion teams that there is absolutely no need to be writing about the exciting offseason that both will have?

Here's one really well thought out blog post about the insane.

Matt Ryan Is Already a Star?!
AP is to credit this blinding flash of the obvious. I was not able to attend Falcons Mini-camp so I am glad that AP has filled me in on the most important news of the day!

Vick still has fans in Atlanta, but Ryan’s No. 2 is the new attraction at the merchandise tent.

Really?! In Atlanta, first round draft picks are usually so boring, I can't imagine any other possibilities. I imagine that if we drafted Glenn Dorsey, no one would really be interested in his performance or jersey. Hmm.

As a side note, no offense to Brian Finneran, whom I am a big fan of, but is he the only guy available to comment on this "new face of the franchise?"

Cricket Sounds...

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Billy King will be a strong candidate to replace Knight with the Hawks

I have yet to hear of any potential replacement for Billy Knight except for the exacerbating option of the former 76ers GM, Billy King. It would only be true Hawks basketball if that were true. I'd prefer to keep our Billy than take their old one. Other than that rumor I have heard nothing about the Hawks (except for blogs that have lauded this fact).

I'm sending out resume' to the NBA. It seems that working in the NBA is like a government job. You don't actually have to be good at what you do, you just have to have the job and once you get the job you keep it for life.

Braves Almost Interesting?
Now that the Braves have had their 6 game winning streak snapped and the media is slating them to miss the playoffs (seriously, in May?), I'm interested to see if they do the ole' Cox "hang with them until the All Star break and then pull," away that was so common for 10 plus years.

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Horses, Soccer & Softball More Important Sports News Than Atlanta Has...

I was watching ESPN yesterday and it was the first time in a long time that I got to see a whole episode of Sportscenter. Amazingly, they spent no time on the Atlanta Brave's 5 game winning streak (no team in baseball has a better home record! Or worse Road record), no time on Atlanta Hawk's GM Billy Knight stepping down and no time on the Altanta Falcon's Michael Boley situation. Instead, we had more recaps of Lebron's non-performance, more drama over an injured horse and some special about softball.... YES, SOFTBALL.....

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Knight to Resign

“I am tremendously pleased with what we were able to accomplish this season in reaching the postseason, as the Hawks’ return to the playoffs energized the city and our franchise,” Knight said in a statement Wednesday. “My passion for the franchise has never wavered.”

Knight’s best draft pick, rookie of the year runner-up Al Horford, provided much-needed inside toughness as a starting center. But he’ll also will be remembered for drafting Marvin Williams instead of Chris Paul, the point guard the team lacked, with the No. 2 overall pick in 2005. SOURCE: YAHOO

No kidding. For years the running joke was that we were hoarding 6'9" forwards. Maybe now we can get our boys locked up and loaded for next season.

Although Gearon says that Woodson is not connected to the team, the writing is on the wall, I doubt a GM would come in hear and WANT to keep Woodson around.

GO HAWKS!

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Atlanta Hawks Fans Worst Fear....

is Billy Knight staying on board.

FreeDarko.com contributer reveals more in this yahoo article.

If Billy Knight goes, expect the new GM to get rid of Woodson too.

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It Only Takes One Action....

to be called a Thug.

All over the Atlanta Falcons board today (well yesterday) Michael Boley was thrown under the bus as the police report was released from his recent arrest for battery. One local talk show host on AM 790 the zone asked if he should be out as a Falcon. Many of the listeners compared it to dog fighting and agreed that he should be let go. I couldn't disagree more.

Reported: "There was an altercation after Boley's wife confronted him about cheating on her."

It goes on to say that there was a struggle, sounded like Boley's wife was pushing him around and he finally fought back (bad move) and then threw her outside, literally. That's when she called the cops.

It doesn't look great, but does not appear to be very serious as there are no priors on him and it sounded like a tumultuous situation. Time will tell. If he is an abuser, then NO, I don't want him on the team, but if it's an honest mistake (and his wife drops the charges) then I wouldn't hold it against him.

What say you?

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Matt Ryan: Christian Laettner or Michael Jordan

Now that NBA basketball is relevant in Atlanta we have more to talk about, but really, Atlanta is a FOOTBALL town.

If you view the Atlanta Falcons message board there is much bickering over Matt Ryan. I have no doubt that he'll at least be a stable LEADER that this team needs.

The question is: Is he a Christian Laettner or a Michael Jordan?

Some players have been in big games and have come up big, ala Laettner. While other players have not only done the same thing, but elevated their team to a higher level and in some cases carried the team.

For better or worse, Mike Vick was a Michael Jordan type player. Once in a lifetime these players set onto the field or court and can change the game entirely. Obviously, Peyton and now Brady are two football examples. I think Ray Lewis is a stretch but could be put in this category. Adrian Peterson and Tomlison could be other examples.

Matt Ryan has done this at the collegiate level more than just the first Virginia Tech game. He did the same thing against a Jon Tenuda defense at Georgia Tech and Florida State. Of course, there is that other Va Tech game that he didn't do so hot in.

I agree with Dimitroff on this one, he has all the intangibles you want in a leader and is poised to lead the team. Then again, the same could be said for Joey Harrington...

Time will tell, but Matt Ryan has me on his bandwagon for right now.

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Atlanta Falcons Draft Recap Interview With Thomas Dimitroff

AtlantaFalcons.com has added the Draft recap interview with Thomas Dimitroff.

Part 1

Part 2

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Love, Hate the Series

Love the fire and the me against the world theme, but I hate goin' out like that.

Joe, I know you want Woodson back..... and as long as Billy is gone, I don't mind either.

For once I'm excited about NBA Basketball again and as long as we do what we need to do this offseason I'm excited about next season.

Wish List:

1. FIRE BILLY KNIGHT, Period. Two good picks last year does not a Good GM make.
   
2. Sign Josh Smith long term - Get him someone that can motivate him EVERY game.
3. Sign Josh Childress - Vital part off the Bench
4. TRADE Mike Bibby - Either Picks, or a veteran LEADER (I know that was what he was supposed to be).
   
   OR
5. Bring in another offensive theat... Could be Marvin Williams, if he finally decides to step up.
   

The Hawks reminded me of a team full of Steve Smiths yesterday. Not good.

Thank you for the fun series though!

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Blueprint for a Choke

Yahoo! has an article about the Atlanta Hawks laying down a blueprint for other teams to take out the Celtics. Notice, even the media is starting to half way believe!

(Mike Woodson)His defiance is understandable, but who is Woodson kidding? Belief was universal that the 37-45 Hawks were destined for destruction. For now, this is the eve of an NBA apocalypse. Commissioner David Stern has endured one Finals bust after another, but the prospects of preserving a collision course for the top-seeded Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers could inspire him to throw on a striped shirt Sunday and come down to the Garden floor himself.

Article Here

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Seven

I love this picture, because, for once, the arrogant Boston crowd is actually having to take people from the South a bit more seriously.

It's more than game seven (which I hope the Atlanta Hawks can make competitive), it's more than Mike Bibby being right about their fans. We might have to overcome our coach, our owners, in some cases our franchises losing history, but for one night, there was no greater franchise on the planet than the Atlanta Hawks.

Marvin Williams stepped up pretty big, I'd love to see him get more aggressive because the team needs a scorer that can shoot and drive.

Not sure about his knee, but the Celtics disrespected him and he stepped up, big.



MVP

Easily, at the end of the series, Josh Childress, needs to be recognized. He's turned into a solid 6th man for the team and is much more effective in the game then many of our starters, night in and night out.

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Robbed!

The NBA is more about creating superstars for the brand then rewarding talented players. Of course, I think the exception to the rule was Nash's MVP's.

Al Horford, You're the ROOKIE OF THE YEAR in my opinion!!!!

Here's the article from AP: BOOO!

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Yahoo! Article Suggest Hawks Are NOT making History

You take by far the worst team in NBA history to make the playoffs against one of the best teams put together in many years and turn it into at least a 6 game series... and you don't have more than good things to say?

I really don't understand the sports writers for a lot of this stuff. Maybe it's because they are national. Maybe they don't truly understand what's going on.... OR maybe the team that is creating history has looked so underwhelming on the road that it doesn't seem plausible that they would have any shot at defeating the Celtics.

Whatever the case may be, the Atlanta Hawks have to win one more at home to even start this discussion again.

Here's the Y! Article

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Woodson - Thanks for the Memories | Atlanta Hawks Recap Game 5 in Boston

I settled in excited to watch how the Hawks would perform in Boston after thrilling games in Atlanta. Sure, they look as if they have absolutely no offensive scheme, but their athleticism and enthusiasm more than make up for it and, hey! they learned how to play defense!

What I watched last night was a group a very talented players with absolutely no direction, no sense of urgency, no plan to win the game. Not that they ever had a plan, but to come out not playing defense and not aggressive is just a coaching error.

Early on it was evident, Paul Pierce was going to be aggressive and take some shots, drive the lane and create. Josh Smith, a much more athletic player should have easily matched the intensity and I think the Celtics are still fearful of shooting in the paint, as evidenced by several of their missed shots there.

What is inexcusable outside of our offensive game is the lack of a defensive presence in the paint aside from Josh. I counted well over 12 points of uncontested layups and several more WIDE OPEN shots.

I doubt we would have won the game with the Celtics shooting it lights out like they were, but we could have been closer than that which would have made me feel so much better about a Game 7 should there be one.

One thing that gets me is that I love seeing Law out there out there but wh

It's time the Hawks take a page out of Michael Vick's book and start playing with the Rhythm of the game and stop letting their coaching stagger them.

• Joe Johnson - Be Aggressive! Shooters shoot till they get on fire. Don't let coach pull you with 2 fouls.. you're too important! Just stay aggressive.
• Josh Smith - Be Aggressive! No one can hang with you. Don't settle for jump shots if you aren't feeling it. You did great from the stripe! I'd love to see that every time. You should also be shutting down everything near the paint, period.
• Mike Bibby - Sometimes you just need to pull yourself out of the game. Not sure what the deal is, but make that extra pass.
  
• Marvin Williams - Again, be more aggressive. I have seen at least one play a game where you've shown me why you were drafted so high. One play! Let's see more.
  
• Al Horford - Call for the ball! I'm loving your game.
• Zaza - Not sure what to say, but if you aren't involved, then foul and foul hard.
• Acie Law - Love your energy, stay agressive, you're the scorer that we need.
  
• Josh Childress - WHY AREN'T YOU STARTING? I love the effort, keep it up.
  

Now I'm spent typing this stuff up, I'll be watching Game 6 if anyone has tickets let me know!

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